How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking

Some changes in thinking are common as people get older. For example, older adults may:

Be slower to find words and recall names

Find they have more problems with multitasking

Experience mild decreases in the ability to pay attention

Participate in Research

Researchers are working to understand normal brain aging, why some people stay cognitively healthy longer than others, and what might protect your brain as you age. Visit the Alzheimers.gov Clinical Trials Finder to learn about clinical trials and studies near you and consider joining a study to be a partner in discovery.

Aging may also bring positive cognitive changes. For example, many studies have shown that older adults have more extensive vocabularies and greater knowledge of the depth of meaning of words than younger adults. Older adults may also have learned from a lifetime of accumulated knowledge and experiences. Whether and how older adults apply this accumulated knowledge, and how the brain changes as a result, is an area of active exploration by researchers.

Despite the changes in cognition that may come with age, older adults can still do many of the things they have enjoyed their whole lives. Research shows that older adults can still:

Learn new skills

Form new memories

Improve vocabulary and language skills

Changes in the Aging Brain

As a person gets older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain. Certain parts of the brain shrink, especially those important to learning and other complex mental activities.

In certain brain regions, communication between neurons (nerve cells) may not be as effective.

Blood flow in the brain may decrease.

Inflammation, which occurs when the body responds to an injury or disease, may increase.

These changes in the brain can affect mental function, even in healthy older people. For example, some older adults may find that they don’t do as well as younger individuals on complex memory or learning tests. However, if given enough time to learn a new task, they usually perform just as well. Needing that extra time is normal as we age. There is growing evidence that the brain maintains the ability to change and adapt so that people can manage new challenges and tasks as they age.

The Secrets of Cognitive Super Agers

Some people in their 80s, 90s, and beyond defy the common assumption that cognitive decline goes hand in hand with aging. These people, called cognitive super agers, have memory performance comparable to people 20 – 30 years younger. Research is ongoing to understand what sets these people apart to help others prevent (or reverse) age-related cognitive decline.

Talk with your doctor if you’re concerned about changes in your thinking and memory. He or she can help you determine whether the changes in your thinking and memory are normal, or whether it could be something else.

There are things you can do to help maintain your physical health and that may benefit your cognitive health, too. Learn more about cognitive health and take steps to help you stay healthy as you age.

How Your Heart Changes With Age

Heart

People age 65 and older are much more likely than younger people to suffer a heart attack, to have a stroke, or to develop coronary heart disease (commonly called heart disease) and heart failure. Heart disease is also a major cause of disability, limiting the activity and eroding the quality of life of millions of older people.

Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels. For example, as you get older, your heart can’t beat as fast during physical activity or times of stress as it did when you were younger. However, the number of heartbeats per minute (heart rate) at rest does not change significantly with normal aging.

Changes that happen with age may increase a person’s risk of heart disease. A major cause of heart disease is the buildup of fatty deposits in the walls of arteries over many years. The good news is there are things you can do to delay, lower, or possibly avoid or reverse your risk.

What To Know About High Blood Pressure as You Age, click to open infographic webpage.

The most common aging change is increased stiffness of the large arteries, called arteriosclerosis (ahr-teer-ee-o-skluh-roh-sis), or hardening of the arteries. This causes high blood pressure, or hypertension, which becomes more common as we age.

High blood pressure and other risk factors, including advancing age, increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis (ath-uh-roh-skluh-roh-sis). Because there are several modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis, it is not necessarily a normal part of aging. Plaque builds up inside the walls of your arteries and, over time, hardens and narrows your arteries, which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body. Oxygen and blood nutrients are supplied to the heart muscle through the coronary arteries. Heart disease develops when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, reducing blood flow to your heart muscle. Over time, the heart muscle can become weakened and/or damaged, resulting in heart failure. Heart damage can be caused by heart attacks, long-standing hypertension and diabetes, and chronic heavy alcohol use.

Check Your Blood Pressure

As you get older, it’s important for you to have your blood pressure checked regularly, even if you are healthy. This is because aging changes in your arteries can lead to hypertension. You may feel fine but, if not treated, high blood pressure could lead to stroke and problems with your heart, eyes, brain, and kidneys. To manage high blood pressure, exercise, dietary changes, and reducing your salt intake can help, but as aging changes in the arteries often cause high blood pressure in older age, medication is often necessary. It is not uncommon to need more than one medication to control your blood pressure.

Age can cause other changes to the heart. For example:

There are age-related changes in the electrical system that can lead to arrhythmias—a rapid, slowed, or irregular heartbeat—and/or the need for a pacemaker. Valves—the one-way, door-like parts that open and close to control blood flow between the chambers of your heart—may become thicker and stiffer. Stiffer valves can limit the flow of blood out of the heart and become leaky, both of which can cause fluid to build up in the lungs or in the body (legs, feet, and abdomen).

The chambers of your heart may increase in size. The heart wall thickens, so the amount of blood that a chamber can hold may decrease despite the increased overall heart size. The heart may fill more slowly. Long-standing hypertension is the main cause of increased thickness of the heart wall, which can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm problem in older people.

With increasing age, people become more sensitive to salt, which may cause an increase in blood pressure and/or ankle or foot swelling (edema).

Other factors, such as thyroid disease or chemotherapy, may also weaken the heart muscle. Things you can’t control, like your family history, might increase your risk of heart disease. But, leading a heart-healthy lifestyle might help you avoid or delay serious illness.

What Is Heart Disease?

Heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis (ath-uh-roh-skluh-roh-sis), which is the buildup of fatty deposits, or plaques, in the walls of the coronary arteries over many years. The coronary arteries surround the outside of the heart and supply blood nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle. When plaque builds up inside the arteries, there is less space for blood to flow normally and deliver oxygen to the heart. If the flow of blood to your heart is reduced by plaque buildup or is blocked if a plaque suddenly ruptures, it can cause angina (chest pain or discomfort) or a heart attack. When the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen and blood nutrients, the heart muscle cells will die (heart attack) and weaken the heart, diminishing its ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.

Signs of Heart Disease

Early heart disease often doesn’t have symptoms or the symptoms may be barely noticeable. That’s why regular checkups with your doctor are important.

Contact your doctor right away if you feel any chest pain, pressure, or discomfort. However, chest pain is a less common sign of heart disease as it progresses, so be aware of other symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have:

Pain, numbness, and/or tingling in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back

Shortness of breath when active, at rest, or while lying flat

Chest pain during physical activity that gets better when you rest

Lightheadedness

Dizziness

Confusion

Headaches

Cold sweats

Nausea/vomiting

Tiredness or fatigue

Swelling in the ankles, feet, legs, stomach, and/or neck

Reduced ability to exercise or be physically active

Problems doing your normal activities

Problems with arrhythmia are much more common in older adults than younger people. Arrhythmia needs to be treated. See a doctor if you feel a fluttering in your chest or have the feeling that your heart is skipping a beat or beating too hard, especially if you are weaker than usual, dizzy, tired, or get short of breath when active.

If you have any signs of heart disease, your doctor may send you to a cardiologist, a doctor who specializes in the heart.

Medical Tests for Heart Disease

Your doctor will check your blood pressure and do a fasting blood test to check your cholesterol, a type of fatty substance that can contribute to plaques in your arteries. He or she might also do a blood test to check the levels of proteins that are markers of inflammation in the body and suggest you have an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This test looks at electrical activity in your heart. A chest x-ray will show whether your heart is enlarged or your lungs have fluid in them; both can be signs of heart failure. The doctor might do a blood test for brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a hormone that increases in heart failure. If the cardiologist needs to determine your heart or valve function, he or she may order an echocardiogram, a painless test which uses sound waves to produce images of your heart in motion.

To learn more about heart disease, visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

What Can I Do to Prevent Heart Disease?

There are many steps you can take to keep your heart healthy.

Try to be more physically active. Talk with your doctor about the type of activities that would be best for you. If possible, aim to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Every day is best. It doesn’t have to be done all at once.

Two older women walking in a park for exerciseStart by doing activities you enjoy—brisk walking, dancing, bowling, bicycling, or gardening, for example. Avoid spending hours every day sitting.

If you smoke, quit. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Smoking adds to the damage to artery walls. It’s never too late to get some benefit from quitting smoking. Quitting, even in later life, can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer over time.

Follow a heart-healthy diet. Choose foods that are low in saturated fats, added sugars, and salt. As we get older, we become more sensitive to salt, which can cause swelling in the legs and feet. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and foods high in fiber, like those made from whole grains. Get more information on healthy eating from NIA. You also can find information on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Heart>>page 43

7 Five-Minute Exercises for Seniors

Fit some fitness into your day with these movements.

These five-minute exercises for seniors can be done at home whenever you have a little extra time.

The idea of starting a workout routine can be intimidating. Some days, it’s tough just to find enough time to dedicate to exercise. Fortunately, you don’t have to add hours to your schedule! It can be much easier (physically and psychologically) to do bite-sized workouts whenever you have a few extra minutes

In honor of Active Aging Week, which runs October 3-9, we’re highlighting some great five-minute exercises for seniors and how to easily fit them into your day:

Even though these exercises are short and mostly low-impact, it’s still a good idea to check in with your doctor before trying any new type of physical activity.

Let’s check out these five-minute exercises for seniors!

Commercial-break bodyweight exercises

Looking for a way to make TV watching healthy? Turn commercial breaks into exercise opportunities! You can do push-ups (including knee pushups, wall push-ups, or couch push-ups), sit-ups or crunches, squats, or planks. These are all exercises that allow you to do as many or as few as you have the time and energy for.

Walking during phone calls

When you take a call on your mobile or cordless phone, use it as a reminder to start strolling! You don’t have to walk so quickly that you get out of breath and it’s hard to talk, of course. Just walking between rooms or down the sidewalk gets your blood moving. If you look for any possible opportunity to walk more each day, you’ll start noticing the health benefits of walking.

Five-minute morning yoga

Mornings and yoga go together like peanut butter and jelly! Find a few simple stretches that make your body feel amazing, and take five minutes after you wake up to start your day on the right foot (maybe you’ll literally be balancing on your right foot!). Check out the benefits of yoga and some yoga moves that promote better hearing.

Hallway lunges

A nice long hallway is a perfect spot to do some lunge laps! There are a few different variations of the walking lunge, but the basic idea is pretty consistent. You take wide steps and lower your body with each one, which simultaneously stretches out the leg in the back and engages the muscles in the front leg. If you like, you can carry dumbbells to engage the arms as well.

Doing laps around the house

Here’s another way to increase your walking! If you have five minutes and want to move a little, do a couple of power-walking laps of your house. On nice days, you can do it outside and maybe take a lap around the block. For an interior challenge, make it a goal to pass each room of your house as many times as you can in five minutes! Just remain aware of tripping hazards while you’re at it.

Quick dumbbell exercises

Dumbbell workouts are one of our top ways to stay active indoors. It’s easy to just grab them when you have a few minutes and feel like pumping some iron. Try a five-minute dumbbell routine like this, incorporating a variety of different exercises to engage all your muscles.

Jumping rope

Jump ropes aren’t just for kids anymore! If you have good balance and your doctor clears you for jumping exercises, five minutes is more than enough to get your heart rate pumping. Here’s a workout video guiding beginners through a five-minute jump rope workout.

Looking for more ways to add extra movement to your lifestyle? Check out these exercises that improve posture and some ways to make exercise fun!